Although I fly frequently, every aspect of travel still secretly thrills me. For this reason, I typically make the time to relax at Elway’s[4] or Root Down[5] before my flight out of DIA. So when the new Westin DIA[6] opened this November, I happily checked out the new drinking and dining options.

It's worth arriving early to the airport to lounge in the stunning Sky Lobby bar (designed by Gensler Architecture and Design), especially when you sip on a bourbon rhubarb smash and nibble on small plates like chipotle-lime chicken tacos or shrimp niçoise. The handcrafted cocktails are the primary draw in the Sky Lobby, but you’ll need to arrive after 5 p.m. to partake.

Before that, Grill & Vine (located on level five of the 14-story hotel) offers a full-service bar and a well-curated New American menu for breakfast and all-day dining. Though Grill & Vine has two other locations in San Francisco and British Columbia, the DIA outpost showcases a strong representation of Colorado products on the menu. The cheese board is a great example, with generous cuts of Haystack Mountain[7] goat cheese, Avalanche Cheese Company's [8]goat cheddar and Midnight Blue, a wedge of MouCo's[9] ColoRouge, and accoutrements of sliced baguette, sweet mustard, tomato compote, and fig jam.